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Top 5 exporters account for over a quarter of all goods exports in 2017

New figures from the CSO show that the country’s five biggest exporters accounted for 26% of all exports in 2017 with the pharmaceutical sector the biggest exporter of goods.

The Central Statistics Office said that the five highest value exporters accounted for over €31 billion of all exports in 2017, while the top 50 enterprises exported 72% of total goods or €87.4 billion of goods.

Today’s figures show that the pharmaceutical sector accounted for 44% of the total value of exports in 2017, comprising €53 billion.

Manufacturing exports were worth €29.4 billion, while exports from the agri-food sector came to €17.9 billion, or 15% of total exports.

Today’s CSO figures also show that a total of 8,614 companies exported their goods in 2017.

There were just 289 large exporters (with over 250 employees) but they accounted for 68% of all exports in 2017.

Meanwhile, a total of 8,300 SMEs exported goods in 2017 with the total value of their exports amounting to €36 billion, or 30% of total exports.

The CSO said this includes 5,081 micro enterprises – businesses with less than ten workers – which exported €7.5 billion of goods.

Cicro enterprises accounted for 59% of exporters and 6% of the value of goods exported, the CSO said.

Meanwhile, the top five importers accounted for €12.9 billion or 16% of total imports in 2017, while the top 50 importing enterprises had imports of €39 billion, or 47% of the total.

The wholesale and retail sector was the largest importer in 2017, accounting for €26.8 billion, or 33% of the total of goods imported.

And the services sector, which includes aircraft leasing companies, imported €26.1 billion (32%) of goods.